Introduction

Welcome to the third edition of this book. I'm honored that I have been able to help thousands of people get online and use social media safely. Now you hold this power in your hands, too.

I've been working and playing online since the mid-'80s. I started out using CompuServe from my old Kaypro II with a 300-baud modem. I'd log on to my computer in the evenings when I had some quiet time after work, after my daughter was asleep.

The online world I found through CompuServe had no fancy pages, videos, or even photos. Just phosphor-green text on a tiny screen. The early onliners didn't have any better technology, so we communicated by sending words across the country and around the world. We chatted with each other and joined groups to discuss our hobbies and our families.

Drawing an analogy here, there have been related social communities online for as long as there have been connected computers. Even though kids today may think they invented the current online world, today's social media are just the 21st-century continuation of a community we've known for quite a while.

Many people who were online then (in the early '80s) are still online now. People of a certain age may also (after a long career) want to jump back into the family feeling of an online community. So, even though this book title says For Seniors, you should know I don't like that term. This book is for those with experience.

Although a persistent rumor claims that only the youngsters go online, actually online participation is growing faster in people over 50. There are more online users over 40 than under 25. Perhaps these people were so busy living their lives and bringing up their children that they didn't have extra time for themselves then - but they do now. And just as in the '60s or '70s, they don't want to be left out of anything. They want to be smack dab in the middle of the online revolution.

Unfortunately, a lot of what they encounter when they go online is unfamiliar stuff. So (naturally enough) some of the experienced, graying generation experience a feeling of trepidation when it comes to the Internet - most of all, they're a bit unsure about getting on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

I have to say: Why? Participating in social media is freeing - and can bring so much into your life! You can't not be there! This book will give you the tools to stay safe and find joy sharing on these sites.

I encourage you: Join your extended family, your children, and your friends online. By participating in social media, you'll find many of your old friends. In a world where people don't chat on the phone much anymore, the online arena is the perfect place to connect.

And you will also make new friends. I am blessed enough to have met many of my online friends in person. The online world has given me a whole new group of humans that I can call on for advice - or, better yet, go out to brunch with - in the real world.

Twitter is pretty straightforward - once you get the hang of it, you'll be Tweeting like a pro in no time. Instagram is sort of magical. I often browse the photos at any time of day, just to relax. But a website that's as complex as Facebook has many nooks and crannies that can confuse new users (and even experienced ones). Think of this book as a roadmap that can help you find your way around in the social media world, getting just as much or as little as you want from the trip. Unlike an actual paper road map, you won't have to fold it back to its original shape (whew). Just close the book and come back any time you need a question answered.

About This Book

Remember those open-book tests that teachers sprang on you in school? Well, sometimes you may feel like Facebook pop-quizzes you while you're online. Think of Facebook, Twitter & Instagram For Seniors For Dummies as your open-book-test cheat sheet with the answers. You don't have to memorize anything; just keep this book handy and follow along whenever you need to.

With this in mind, I've divided this book into pertinent sections to help you find your answers fast. I'll show you how to

• Set up your computer for the ultimate online experience.
• There's a short tutorial on emoji, so you'll understand the meaning of , , and .
• Set up a new account on Gmail to handle all your new communication.
• Join social media by registering to meet old (and new) friends.
• Post to your friend's Facebook walls and send private messages.
• Find people you haven't heard from in years and catch up with their lives.
• See what's going on with your children and grandchildren online - and join the party.
• Share photos and videos online (or just view ones from your friends).
• Become a part of a unique community of people!

Do not reach for your glasses. To protect the privacy of the online community, the screen images (commonly called screen shots) that I've used in this book blur private information on purpose. That's to protect the innocent (or not so . what the heck, cue the Dragnet theme).

Conventions Used in This Book

Anyone born before 1960 grew up in an analog age. Televisions were big, bulky affairs; the first remote controls ca-chunked each time they changed the channel (and they only had four buttons). Families woke up and went to sleep seeing a test pattern. Cameras (the good ones) were solid, heavy devices, and movie cameras whirred along with a comfortable mechanical hum. Typewriters clacked in a danceable rhythm.

Then life turned digital without anyone's permission - even without folks noticing until it happened. The comfortable mechanical sounds of everyday appliances seemed to go away. Whirring, buzzing, and beeping replaced familiar sounds. Everything got more complex: the button count on my TV remote control went from four to a gazillion! It seems as if everything we use has gotten smaller. The digital camera on my phone looks so small and cheesy that I'm shocked it can take a good picture - but it does. (It takes great ones!) Even the type on a page, it seems, has gotten smaller - which is why my publisher has graciously set this book in a type that will permit you to read something, glance at your computer, and look back again without having to pick your glasses off the top of your head.

Here are a few conventions to look out for as you read this book:

• Online addresses: The online location (or address) of a website is called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). These online addresses - as well as email addresses - appear in a monofont typeface, as follows:

  www.facebook.com

• What to type: When instructions for a task require that you type something on your keyboard, that something appears in bold typeface.
• On-screen buttons with long labels: When an on-screen button is labeled with a phrase instead of a single word, I put it in title case, like this: Click the Do This Silly Digital Thing Now button. That ought to head off confusion at the pass.

Foolish Assumptions

I'm thinking that you've picked up this book because you heard that the immediate world has jumped online and maybe you feel a little left out. Perhaps you already like to send text messages and think this Twitter thing might be for you? If either of these assumptions is true, this is the right book for you.

Here are some other foolish assumptions I've made about you (I'm famous for my foolish assumptions . you too?):

• You have access to the Internet so you can get online and start to socialize.
• You have an interest in communicating with people, and you want to find out more about what you can do online - without asking your children.
• You want tips to help you get online without looking like a newcomer, or newbie (the kids call them noobs). I can relate. We have a lot in common.
• You're concerned about maintaining your privacy and staying away from shysters.

Icons Used in This Book

When something in this book is particularly valuable, I go out of my way to make sure that it stands out. In this book, I use the tip icon to mark text that (for one reason or another) really needs your attention. An example of this icon:

Tips save you a lot of time and keep you out of trouble.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the content in this book, you'll find some extra content available at the www.dummies.com website:

• For the Cheat Sheet for this book, visit www.dummies.com/ and search for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram For Seniors For Dummies 3rd edition cheat sheet.
• For updates to this book, click my blog on my website at www.marshacollier.com.

Like everything else in the world, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have an ever-changing nature. And for Facebook - because the website is more complex - this is even truer. (That's annoying, isn't it?) These social networking sites are...